From 2018 to now
The Social Prescribing Youth Network (SPYN) was developed by StreetGames in 2018. Over the last six years, SPYN has gained more than 1,300 members and has had notable achievements including delivering resources and training.
StreetGames have been committed to promoting and growing youth social prescribing for many years and have been at the forefront of this development. However over the last few years they have not had capacity to grow the network at the pace it deserves. Through an open tender process StreetGames therefore made the decision to transfer the network to one of the national experts in this field who can give it the dedicated time and focus it now needs. StreetGames continue to see this work as a key strategic priority and therefore will remain involved and will seek to lead the focus on sport and physical activity.
Looking forward
This process has now concluded and we are pleased to announce that the Social Biobehavioural Research Group at University College London will be the new hosts of SPYN moving forward. UCL will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to this network and are hoping to grow it further in order to support increased social prescribing for children and young people across the country.
Four key individuals will be involved in the day-to-day running of SPYN:
- Dr Daniel Hayes, an expert in youth social prescribing who will head up the network.
- Prof Daisy Fancourt who will provide expertise in running large networks, having led the £1.25 million UKRI MARCH network and 70-country COVID-Minds network.
- Rachel Marshall who manages research communications and impact work for UCL SBB, and
- Nikita Arslanovski who coordinates communications and finance for the team.
Dr Daniel Hayes, Senior Research Fellow at UCL, commented:
“Children and young people’s mental and physical health has reached a crisis point. Despite this significant need for youth social prescribing, and growing momentum and interest, its potential is unrealised. Provision is patchy and pockets of good practice remain isolated, with a lack of awareness or joined up working from the policymakers, researchers, healthcare practitioners and community assets that are fundamental for social prescribing to succeed.
SPYN is a fantastic network that has the potential to drive work in this space forwards by mobilising stakeholders, providing training and networking opportunities, and sharing good practice. We are very excited to build on our existing knowledge and partnerships in this field and take SPYN to the next level in terms of impact. We hope you will join us on this journey!”
Stuart Felce, UK Director of Strategic Business Relationships at StreetGames, commented:
“The transition of the Social Prescribing Youth Network (SPYN) to the Social Biobehavioural Research Group marks an exciting new chapter in its development. At StreetGames, we are incredibly proud to have established SPYN and grown it into a thriving network of over 1,300 members since 2018.
This move ensures that SPYN receives the dedicated focus it deserves to further its vital work in supporting the health and wellbeing of children and young people through social prescribing. While the network will now be hosted by one of the leading national experts in the field, StreetGames remains deeply committed to advancing youth social prescribing, particularly through our focus on sport and physical activity.”
How to get involved with SPYN
The Social Biobehavioural Research Group team are currently busy planning and look forward to sharing further updates, opportunities and activities for SPYN members in the New Year.
New members can find out more about the Network here and join here to receive future updates about the expanding world of social prescribing for children and young people. Our newsletter will bring you the latest research, resources, events, training and more – all directly to your inbox.
Membership is free and open to all those interested in bringing social prescribing and its benefits to the younger generations. Whether you are a Link Worker, social prescribing coordinator, voluntary and community worker, commissioner, funder, health professional across primary or secondary care, or a researcher – join SPYN and be a part of the youth social prescribing movement in the UK and beyond.
If you have any SPYN-related queries you can get in touch with the team at: spyn@ucl.ac.uk.
